Earlier this month, Mariah Carey was named in a lawsuit in federal district court for copyright infringement. The plaintiffs, musicians Andy Stone (stage name “Vince Vance”) and Troy Powers, allege that the so-called “Queen of Christmas” used their country music song “All I want for Christmas is You” as the basis for her hit pop song with the same title.

The art of tattooing can be traced back to ancient times. In fact, archaeologists have uncovered tattoo tools that date back at least 12,000 years. However, lawsuits over tattoos and copyright law are a much, much more recent phenomenon.

Have you ever wondered what was the very first work to receive a copyright registration in the United States?